Simple Peas and Onions

I wasn’t always a lover of peas. When I was a kid, on the days peas were being served for dinner, my siblings and I would jockey for a particular seat at the dining room table. This spot had a secret drawer in the table. (Well maybe not so secret, but good enough to not catch the notice of our unsuspecting parents.) The trick was to take a spoonful of peas, cover your mouth as if you were wiping something away, extricate the peas from your mouth into your hand (or as dad would say, “one of your grubby little paws”), slyly open the drawer, and place the peas in the drawer. Yes! Mission accomplished! “See mom and dad, I finished my peas!” I think they finally caught on one day when cleaning the table they came across some shriveled up old peas, but the ruse was good while it lasted.

Thank goodness I outgrew that. These days I always like to keep at least one bag of frozen peas in the freezer. Not only do they make a great impromptu ice pack if you need one, but they cook up in a flash and go with practically anything. Simple is best. And if I have a spare minute I’ll snip a leaf or two of mint from the yard, slice it thin and add to the peas.

Prep:5 minutes

Cook:15 minutes

Yield:Serves 4.

Ingredients

1 pound shelled peas, fresh or frozen

1/2 onion, chopped fine

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chicken stock (use gluten-free stock for gluten-free version, and vegetable stock or just plain water for vegetarian version)

Black pepper

Salt

Pinch of sugar (optional)

Method

1 Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the butter foam recedes, add the chopped onions. Sauté the onions for a few minutes until they just begin to brown.

2 Add the peas and the chicken stock and bring to a rolling boil. Taste for salt and add if needed (you might not need to add salt if your stock is already pretty salty.) If you want, add a pinch of sugar to highlight the sweetness of the already sweet peas.

3 Stir the peas and onions often – you want the stock to reduce by about half without overcooking the peas. When the stock has reduced, turn off the heat and add the remaining butter and some black pepper. Serve at once.